The Little Merman
by SethRocks
Summary: Nathaniel spends most of his time exploring and searching for human objects, curious about the human world and how it works. But things change when he falls in love with a human and wants nothing more than to be with him. (This is basically a The Little Mermaid AU) Beta read by Ryn Garner. This was a request by demoiselle-noir over on tumblr. I hope that you all like it :)
1. Chapter 1

Nathaniel swam quietly through the area, his purple tail moving up and down as he glided through the water, his shadow casting down upon the shipwrecks littering the ocean's floor. He's seen all of them before and explored every bit of the interiors of the rotting wooden structures. His eyes scan the different ships until he spots a new sunken boat in the distance.

Nathaniel soon came to a stop and he rested his hands on a nearby mast as he just looked in awe at the undiscovered ship. It was resting on a huge rock and light from the surface was shining down onto the massive boat, slowly illuminating the gaping holes between wooden planks.

The merman suddenly heard a semi annoyed voice next to his ear.

"You couldn't wait for me huh?"

Nathaniel turned his gaze to the small mermaid next to him and sheepishly smiled.

"Sorry, Alix. I'm just really excited."

The spunky mermaid chuckled and shook her head.

"I know. Just remember that I can't swim as fast as you."

Nathaniel nodded and returned his attention to the drowned watercraft.

"There it is."

Nathaniel pointed out the vessel to Alix before continuing to talk in a fascinated tone.

"Isn't it amazing?"

Alix looked at the wreck with an unimpressed expression.

"Not the word that I would use. Now, can we get out of here?"

She questioned Nathaniel, her expression now one of boredom as she started to swim away, her black tail with pink speckles moving up and down quickly.

Nathaniel turned his gaze to her and reached out to lightly grip her arm.

"Just come check it out with me. There might be some cool things in there."

The red-headed merman attempted to persuade his smaller friend.

Alix stared at him for a few seconds before rolling her eyes.

"Alright. Let's go see this wonderful shipwreck."

The word 'wonderful' came out sarcastically as Alix began making her way over to the boat with Nathaniel swimming right beside her. As the two approached the wreck, Alix skeptically gazed at the looming ruin of the boat. She ignored the unsettling vibe she was feeling and continued swimming quietly.

Nathaniel approached the closest side of the ship and peered in through a porthole.

"I'm going to head inside."

The blue-eyed merman spoke with a slightly nervous edge to his voice and carefully glided through the porthole into the belly of the ship. Alix followed him and gazed around once she had passed through the circular opening. The pair of merfolk just went from area to area, looking at the unfamiliar objects scattered throughout the wreck.

In their captivation of everything they were seeing, they failed to notice the shadow pass over the portholes of the ship on the side that they had entered from. The darkness around them made it slightly hard to see and Nathaniel bumped into a beam. It snapped, having been rotting for so long, and collapsed which caused part of the wood above them to come crashing down.

Both Alix and Nathaniel quickly darted out of the way and avoided the falling debris. Nathaniel's heart was beating faster and he took a moment to settle it before continuing to make his way through the boat. Alix felt her bad vibe get stronger and felt like something was off. She immediately began looking around for anything suspicious.

Nathaniel looked up to the light emitting from a gaping hole above them and swam up towards it. He poked his head up through the hole and looked around before he spotted a small object gleaming. It was propped up on a heap of broken wood. He smiled and immediately swam over to the small shiny object before picking it up and looking at it closely.

Alix joined him and looked it over as well.

"That looks cool. What do you think it is though?"

The blue-eyed mermaid questioned with a curious look on her face. The object was cool to the touch and looked kinda like a miniature trident.

"I have no idea."

Nathaniel murmured his answer while opening the small pouch he had been carrying with him and placing the object in there. Suddenly, a shadow darted past the large glass window at the end of the area they were in. Nathaniel didn't notice anything, but Alix saw it out of the corner of her eye. She felt her previous sense of foreboding creeping back and looked around.

Nathaniel swam around the room, looking for more objects, not noticing his friend's apprehension. Alix started to quickly move around, paying attention to everything as she found herself unable to shake the feeling that something was wrong. Nathaniel picked up a wooden object and turned it over.

"I wonder what this one is."

Nathaniel uttered quietly to himself while placing that in his bag as well. Alix turned to Nathaniel, having decided to voice her concern.

"Nathaniel. I think we should get out here."

Alix spoke seriously, which made Nathaniel look up at her. Alix usually jokes around, so when she's serious about something, she's SERIOUS. As Nathaniel looked at her, a mass approached the glass that Alix's back was to and he froze. She noticed his reaction and slowly turned around.

As Alix did, however, the large shark quickly swam forward and crashed through the glass. Alix gasped and darted away as the shark lunged towards her while snapping its jaws shut. She fearfully swam away from it and swam through the hole they came up through with Nathaniel right behind her.

The pair headed towards the porthole where they entered and the shark suddenly came up through the floor and begin chasing them. While they were swimming away, Nathaniel's bag got snagged on a piece of wood jutting up from the floor. He stopped and looked back at it before gazing fearfully at the shark that was rapidly approaching.

Nathaniel bit his lip and made a split-second decision to go back for the pouch. He darted towards it as fast as he could and snatched it up before darting out of a porthole. He spotted Alix in the distance and quickly made his way towards her. But as he did, the shark burst through the ship's side and followed Nathaniel. He gazed down and quickly swam around a pole while going up higher.

The shark followed and Nathaniel noticed a large circular object down on the ocean floor and quickly formed an idea. He took a nosedive and swam towards the object as fast as he could, with the shark gaining on him. He swam through it and hoped that the shark was dumb enough to do the same. Nathaniel's hope was right and the shark started to go through the hoop only to end up stuck due to its size. Nathaniel swam away and met up with Alix.

They both started swimming away from there as they felt extremely relieved that they were able to survive that and escape in one piece. Alix started heading in the direction of their home, but Nathaniel started heading upwards. She sighed while giving a brief shake of her head and followed him.

Nathaniel kept heading upwards as the light from up above grew stronger. He suddenly breached the surface of the water and looked around before spotting a rock protruding out of the water. He swam over to it and pulled himself out of the water to take a seat on it. Alix did the same.

"You know we shouldn't be up here."

She spoke matter of factly while glancing at the merman beside her.

"Yeah, I know. But there are things up here that I want to know more about."

Nathaniel answered while digging through his bag to pull out his two newest additions. He found them and looked them over, noting all of their details. After doing so for a few minutes, he noticed the position of the sun and felt panicked as he put the items away.

"We've got to head back! I didn't realize that I was out for so long! I'm late to my class!"

Nathaniel pushed himself back into the water and Alix followed him as they raced back towards their home.

As they did, however, they failed to notice someone silently watching them from behind some rocks. The hidden figure smirked and swam all the way to a hidden cave nearby. They entered it and went into the main room before taking a seat inside a massive shell.

"Yes, you should hurry home, Prince. We wouldn't want mother dearest to be disappointed, now, would we?"

The person spoke sarcastically as they stayed in the shadow of the shell's interior.

"She'll always be disappointed in a loser like you though. I wouldn't be a disappointment. I would be the perfect person to take the throne if only she'd give me the chance."

The mermaid's anger rose and she spoke bitterly while leaving the shell and swimming down to the floor of the cave.

"I will have the throne, no matter what it takes. They'll all see that I'm the right one to rule. I'll have to keep an extra close watch on the darling prince. He will be my way of taking the throne."

The last part is said deviously with a smirk.

Alix awkwardly waited outside of the throne area as she heard voices filtering out, the most prominent one being the Queen's.

Queen Caline sighed as she gazed down at her only child. Marinette, a mermaid who was close to Nathaniel's age, was close to the queen's side since she was training to be her new advisor. Marinette watched quietly as Queen Caline spoke to her son.

"I honestly don't know what to do with you, Nathaniel."

Nathaniel sheepishly spoke up.

"I'm sorry. Time passed quickly and I didn't realize that it had gotten so late. It won't happen again."

His mother frowned slightly and she spoke softly, but sternly as soon as he finished.

"Your behavior was careless. It's not fitting of someone that is going to be the ruler of the kingdom. The classes are important so you can learn the things you need to know to be king."

Nathaniel anxiously gripped his arm as guilt began to come over him.

"I'm sorry."

The redhead simply apologized again. Alix hated hearing her best friend so defeated and swam into the room right up to where the queen was sat upon her throne.

"With all respect, your majesty, it wasn't his fault. We had an encounter with a shark and had to escape it. After that, we were just calming down from the experience and it was only when we noticed the sun's position that we realized how late in the day it had become."

The queen listened quietly to the entire explanation but spoke up after the last bit processed.

"The sun's position? Nathaniel, please tell me that you didn't go to the surface again."

Queen Caline had a disappointed look while she looked sternly down at her son. Nathaniel said nothing, which gave the queen the information she needed to know. His mother shook her head disapprovingly.

"Nathaniel, I've told you many times, the surface isn't a safe place. You could have been spotted by a human. You know that they're dangerous. I just don't want anything to happen to you. You're the person I care for most in this world and I don't know what I would do if something were to happen to you. Please promise me that you won't go up there again."

Nathaniel looked up at her and swallowed back his rising guilt before speaking quietly.

"I promise."

Queen Caline nodded, satisfied with the answer.

"Then you may go."

Nathaniel nodded and quickly swam out of the room with Alix right behind him. After he had left, Queen Caline felt some guilt at the downhearted expression that had manifested on her son's face as she had reprimanded him. She thought for a few minutes before addressing the young mermaid beside her.

"Marinette?"

"Yes, your majesty?"

The kind girl responded.

"I worry about Nathaniel often and I believe that more friends would be a good thing for him. I would like for you to spend time with him and be his friend."

"Of course, your majesty."

Marinette nodded as she voiced her acceptance of the task. The queen smiled at her and thanked her. Marinette smiled back and left the room to go find Nathaniel. As she looked around for him, she noticed a flash of red in the distance. She looked closely and saw that it was Nathaniel and his friend Alix.

Marinette watched them head off and decided to follow them. She followed them out past the outskirts of the city and wondered where they could possibly be going. The pair slowed down and Marinette did as well before hiding behind some nearby plants. She watched curiously as Nathaniel approached a large oval-shaped stone that was seemingly leaning against a rock wall.

The merman pulled it until it revealed a hidden tunnel. Nathaniel and Alix both quickly swam inside before the rock fell back into place and the tunnel was completely hidden from sight. After about a minute, Marinette approached the rock and pulled it aside before entering the tunnel. She quietly swam through it before it opened up into a large grotto filled with objects and stacks of rock slates that had perfect etchings of the objects on them.

Marinette looked around in wonder before noticing Nathaniel staring at her with shock and a hint of fear evident on his face. Alix was beside him and looked skeptically at Marinette while crossing her arms.

"What is all of this?"

Marinette found herself asking curiously.

Nathaniel nervously answered.

"It's, uh...It's my collection."

Marinette nodded and swam around, looking at the array of unknown objects.

"Please don't tell my mother about this. I don't think that she would understand."

Nathaniel pleaded with Marinette as Alix kept a watchful gaze on the mermaid.

Marinette looked over the etchings and the objects more before swimming to Nathaniel. She came to a stop in front of him and smiled reassuringly at him.

"I won't tell her. I promise."

Nathaniel gazed into her eyes and felt that he could trust her. He smiled back at Marinette. Right after he did, the light coming in from the top of the area was blocked momentarily and a strange rumbling was heard as something large crossed over the top of the grotto. All three merfolk looked up at the hole.

"What is that?"

Nathaniel asked out loud before swimming out of the grotto through the tunnel that he came in through. Alix and Marinette followed, the former curious while the latter was nervous. Nathaniel headed up towards the surface where something big was crossing the water. He slowly broke the surface and brushed his hair out of his face before gasping in wonder at the sight before him.

Light flashed across the merman's face as strange colors started appearing in the sky and were accompanied by a loud rumbling noise. The lights looked to be falling near the sea but never reached it. Water dripped down Nathaniel's face as he recognized the large object that was crossing as a ship. But one that's not sunk.

Nathaniel's curiosity heightened and he sneakily started swimming towards the ship, intent on getting a closer look. Alix and Marinette followed him, not wanting to let him go alone. Nathaniel glided beside the boat as the sounds of loud laughter and talking are heard easily from where the merman is.

The redhead immediately went to the side of the ship and carefully pulled himself up to peek over the edge. He stayed still and shadows moved across his face as humans danced joyously across the ship's deck. Nathaniel watched with interest, committing the sight to memory so he can etch it later.

Nathaniel watched as a creature released sharp, loud sounds as it ran happily through the group of humans on board. Suddenly it stopped dead in its tracks and began moving over to where Nathaniel was. The merman ducked a little, feeling nervous, but the creature spotted him and instantly licked his face. Nathaniel grimaced, not used to the sensation.

Suddenly a voice was heard and the creature ran over to a human. Nathaniel raised his head again and noticed the creature that licked him moving in circles around one human. It jumped up and licked the human's face just like it did to Nathaniel. The merman's gaze raised and stopped as he took in the human's appearance.

His hair was black and was tied in the back. His eyes were bright green. Much brighter than anything that Nathaniel has ever seen. The human also had pink lips which were forming a soft smile and he had a prettily shaped face. Nathaniel couldn't stop the smile that appeared on his face as he gazed at the very attractive human.

Nathaniel continued to observe the scene, just watching as the humans began to talk. From listening to what they were saying, the merman understood that the attractive human was a prince as well and that it was his birthday. The prince's gift was a rather large statue, that in Nathaniel's opinion, didn't do justice to the dark-haired boy. Suddenly the prince approached the spot right where Nathaniel was hiding and he ducked again.

Another human was speaking quietly to the green-eyed prince and was mentioning that the boy is approaching the age where he needed to start looking for a girl to marry. The pretty human just stuttered out that he wasn't interested in that. Nathaniel listened and wondered why the prince wouldn't be interested.

The prince, who Nathaniel overheard as being named Marc, leaned against the railing with his arms resting on it as he gazed out over the water with a forlorn expression. Suddenly lighting started to strike across the sky and loud thunderclaps were heard. Nathaniel shielded his face as rain started to come down hard and storm clouds built up overheard. He heard humans running around and yelling above him.

The waves around the ship started to rock the vessel violently as more lightning flashed and the wind started to howl as it blew strongly. Marinette and Alix fought the waves and tried to stay on the surface but the two mermaids were forced to retreat to under the water. Nathaniel held tightly to a rope with his hands as the wind pushed his whole body away from the ship.

After a few seconds, the merman let go and landed in the water with a hard splash. Nathaniel instantly began swimming alonside the length of the bottom of the boat before surfacing near the side of it. He watched with horror as a lightning bolt struck a top part of the ship and set it ablaze. The ship moved forward and stuck a large rock which caused the whole vessel to shake violently.

The merman noticed many humans fall overboard because of that but thankfully it seemed like all of them were able to get onto a small boat. Nathaniel felt relief as he noticed Prince Marc was on the small boat too. But for some reason, the prince leaped off and went back to the large ship that was almost fully on fire.

Nathaniel watched worriedly as the prince climbed up the side of the ship and went onto the deck. The merman kept watching, not knowing what was going on, but felt fear when a part of the ship broke and fell. Suddenly Nathaniel noticed the creature from before come flying off of the boat and land in the water.

The redhead kept watching for any since of the prince, but nothing. Abruptly, the ship had a massive cloud spread out as more fire appeared. Nathaniel feared the worst and immediately swam closer to the boat as he dodged all of the floating debris. He started turning in circles looking everywhere for Marc.

Nathaniel stopped and noticed the dark-haired human draped over a floating plank with his eyes closed. The human prince slipped off the board and slipped beneath the waves. The merman didn't hesitate and immediately dove to grab the prince and drag his unconscious body back up to the surface.

Nathaniel started making his way to the shore and arrived there right after the sun had risen. He struggled slightly but succeded in pulling the human onto the beach and laying him down. After laying the human onto his back, the merman simply laid beside the unconscious boy and gazed worriedly at him, not sure if he was alive.

The blue-eyed boy bit his lip nervously before laying his head down on the human's chest. He heard that the human's heart was still beating and felt relief go through him. He pulled his head back and just watched as Marc breathed evenly in his sleep. He moved some stray hair out of Marc's face and smiled fondly down at the sleeping human.

"He's so beautiful."

Nathaniel murmured quietly cupping the human's face. Unbeknownst to him, Alix and Marinette were watching from behind a nearby rock, surprise written on both of their faces. Nathaniel started gently caressing the dark-haired boy's face just as sunlight shone down upon the human's face.

Marc opened his eyes and was greeted with the sight of a bare-chested boy with shoulder-length red hair leaning over him, light completely surrounding the unknown blue-eyed boy. Suddenly the boy vanished from his field of vision. Marc sat up and tried to see where the handsome boy had gone, but saw no one except his bodyguard and friend Ivan approaching.

Ivan called his name and Marc shakily stood up before looking around one last time. He frowned a little and decided to keep what he saw to himself as his dog rushed over while barking loudly. Ivan immediately took one of Marc's arms and draped it over his shoulder before helping him walk home with Marc's dog following.

Nathaniel, Alix, and Marinette watched from a distance as the human prince was led away.

Alix spoke up.

"I vote that we don't mention this to Queen Caline."

Marinette spoke up next.

"I agree."

The two then looked over at Nathaniel who was watching the human with a loving look in his eyes. The same thought immediately crossed Marinette's and Alix's minds: 'This is trouble.'

While that was happening, the same figure from before was spying on Nathaniel once again. They felt glee at the new information they now had and chuckled wickedly.

"This is going to be so easy. He is in love with a human. And not just any human. A prince. His mother will be so happy with that. But, Nathaniel would make a nice addition to my garden."

They smirked and laughed evilly as their gaze drifted to all of the shriveled up creatures littering the tunnel leading into the secret cave.


	2. Chapter 2

The space of the classroom was filled with quiet chatter as the students waited for the teacher to arrive. Fish darted past the open holes of the area they were using for their lessons and after a few moments, the teacher arrived and students made their way to their assigned seats. All of the seats were filled except for one.

The teacher sighed exasperatedly as she noticed that the prince was nowhere to be seen. She shook her head and opened her mouth to begin explaining the day's lessons, but before she could even get a word out, Nathaniel glided into the room. The other students watched the redhead with surprise evident on their faces as he smiled and happily swam to his seat, humming quietly to himself as he did.

Nathaniel paid absolutely no mind to the stares he was getting and after a few seconds, the teacher got all of their attention back onto her so she could begin the day's lecture about proper etiquette when dining. The next few hours went smoothly and Nathaniel seemed to be lost in his own world, but he usually stayed to himself, so the sight wasn't a new one to his classmates or instructor. But they couldn't help but notice the lightness of his mood and the genuine happiness that he was exuding.

As the time came for the class to be dismissed, the teacher bid everyone a good day and the students began leaving. On the way out, Nathaniel smiled and waved at everyone before leaving, once again humming to himself. Alya watched him go and curiously watched him, her orange tail flickering slightly as she thought over the prince's strange behavior.

"What do you think that's about?"

Alya questioned Nino who's red tail ceased its movement as he stopped next to her. Nino looked up and noticed Nathaniel happily etching something into a thin slab of rock he carried with him almost constantly.

"I don't know."

Nino shrugged with uncertainty as he answered his girlfriend. Alya let out a small hum of thought and lightly held Nino's hand before swimming away. Nathaniel's odd actions also drew the attention of Rose who smiled happily while watching him as a thought hit her as to why the prince would be acting that way.

"I think that he's in love."

The blonde mermaid whispered excitedly while her pink tail swished happily. Her shy girlfriend's purple tail moved nervously.

"Do you really think?"

Juleka mumbled to the smaller mermaid.

Rose immediately nodded with a grin on her face. Luka, who was swimming past the pair, overheard Rose's words and paid close attention to Nathaniel who was still etching from his sitting place on a rock a small distance away. He focused and could easily hear the joyous tune of the redhead's heart. Luka smiled, wondering what, or more specifically who could have made the prince so happy.

While being lost in thought, the blue-tailed merman failed to notice the younger merman behind him who was also watching Nathaniel. Adrien's head tilted slightly as he also found the prince's behavior peculiar. Adrien suddenly remembered that Marinette mentioned that the Queen assigned her to spend time with Nathaniel. He would have to ask her if she knew what was causing Nathaniel's improved mood.

Adrien quickly moved his yellow tail from side to side and followed his friends out of the area. Meanwhile, Nathaniel sat and just etched a small engraving of Marc into the rock sheet resting in front of him. Right after finishing his small image of the human prince, he heard a throat clear and glanced up to see a nervous-looking Marinette.

Nathaniel couldn't help but feel a small hint of his own nervousness rise.

"Can I talk to you?"

Marinette asked him quietly.

The redhead nodded and she gently settled down on the rock next to him. She glanced over and looked at the small picture of Marc. She frowned slightly and Nathaniel noticed.

"I'm...thinking of going to see him tonight."

Nathaniel spoke quietly and kept his gaze down, not meeting Marinette's eyes. The mermaid's eyebrows raised in surprise for a few seconds before scrunching together as concern filled her eyes.

"Nathaniel, I don't think that's a good idea. It's dangerous for us to get close to the surface and the shore especially."

Nathaniel glanced up at her with a slightly desperate edge to his gaze.

"I know."

The blue-eyed merman admitted while nervously gripping his arm.

"But I have to see him again."

Nathaniel gazed at her as the desperation morphed into a serious look. Marinette opened her mouth to respond, but before she could, he swam away quickly and was out of sight before she could call his name. She watched him go with sadness in her eyes and sighed. Suddenly one of Queen Caline's assistants swam quickly over to Marinette and stopped in front of her.

"The Queen of the sea has requested your presence in the throne room. It's regarding Nathaniel."

Marinette's heart sank slightly as she listened. There's no way that Queen Caline knows about the incident with the ship and Nathaniel saving a human, but what if she does? Marinette swallowed nervously and followed the other mermaid to the palace, hoping that nothing bad would come of this.

Queen Caline patiently waited with a small smile as Marinette slowly swam into the room. The young mermaid stopped in front of the ruler of the sea and bowed.

"I heard that you needed to see me, your majesty."

Marinette quietly said, trying not to show how nervous she was.

"Yes. It's about Nathaniel. I've heard that he's behaving quite different lately."

"Different? How so?"

Marinette asked as she tried to keep her breathing even and calm.

"According to his instructor, he's been humming and lost in thought more than he usually is. Have you noticed anything out of the ordinary?"

Marinette bit her tongue as she felt the urge to start babbling fill her.

"Well, I..."

Marinette trailed off as she tried to think of an excuse for Nathaniel's behavior that wouldn't make the queen suspicious.

After a few seconds of silence, the queen simply said Marinette's name.

"Yes, your majesty?"

"If there's something you know about my son, please tell me. Especially if it's something that could get him hurt. I only wish to protect him."

Marinette bit her lip before sighing with slumped shoulders as she began explaining the entire incident with her following Nathaniel and Alix to the hidden grotto. She then told the queen about the ship passing over and Nathaniel going up to the surface to check it out before the ship sunk. She also hesitantly told Queen Caline about Nathaniel saving a human and dragging him to shore.

As Marinette continued to explain, the queen's face slowly became disappointed and a small amount of fury was resting in her eyes.

Queen Caline suddenly held a hand up and Marinette stopped talking.

"Marinette, take me to the grotto where my son has been collecting human artifacts."

The young mermaid nodded with a somber expression.

"Yes, your majesty."

As Marinette led the way with the queen following her, the blue-haired girl could only hope that Nathaniel would forgive her.

Nathaniel tried not to huff as Alix led him through the tunnel leading into his hidden spot. He currently couldn't see because the small mermaid had insisted that he kept his eyes closed so he wouldn't ruin the surprise she had for him. She held his hand and guided him carefully into the grotto.

Suddenly, the blue-eyed merman was forced to stop as Alix held a hand on his shoulder to prevent him from moving forward. She told him to open his eyes and he did. As he took in the sight before him, his mouth stayed open as shock filled him. He swam forward until he was right in front of the new addition to his collection.

"Alix, how did you get that in here?"

Nathaniel had a bright smile as he gazed at the large statue of Marc that was now resting in the center of the round area. He smiled at Alix and hugged her.

"I know. I'm the best."

Alix chuckled. Nathaniel nodded after she did.

"You really are."

Nathaniel released his hold on her and swam over to the statue so he could get a closer look. He smiled fondly at its realistic features that closely matched the human prince. Especially the eyes, Nathaniel noticed. The merman's imagination soon ran free and he had a vision of joining the human world and running away with Marc.

While lost in thought, Nathaniel failed to notice his mother watching him from the entrance to the grotto. He turned around and froze as she stared at him with a mix of disappointment and anger. Marinette was sadly looking at Nathaniel with an apologetic expression. Alix hid behind a stack of items so the queen wouldn't notice her there.

Queen Caline began drifting into the room.

"I consider myself to be quite equable, but I do have set rules and I expect everyone to follow them so that no one is in danger. "

The ruler of the sea continued to move towards her son who was now backed up against the statue with worry all over his face.

"Mother, I..."

Caline raised a hand and Nathaniel immediately became silent.

"Is it true that you rescued a human from drowning?"

His mother sternly asked.

"I had to."

Nathaniel defended himself quietly.

"Nathaniel, I have told you repeatedly that contact between the human world and our world is forbidden. Everyone in the kingdom knows that."

The queen spoke with exasperation as she stared at Nathaniel with pure disappointment.

"He would have died."

Nathaniel tried reasoning with his mother.

"A human's life is of no concern to merfolk."

Caline spoke with conviction.

"But you don't even know this human."

Nathaniel pleadingly looked at her.

"Knowing him isn't important. Even if he is good, it's better to just stay away from the human world and not get involved at all. The rule is to ensure the safety of my people. Nathaniel, you will not go to the surface again. I will assign a guard to constantly accompany you."

The queen said with finality.

Nathaniel felt his heart sink as he realized that he would never get to see Marc again and because of his racing thoughts, he just blurted out something that he probably shouldn't have.

"But I love him!"

Queen Caline was stunned for a few seconds before speaking incredulously.

"Nathaniel, please tell me that you're not serious. You are a merman and he's a human. You cannot be with him."

The queen gazed at her son with a hint of sadness lurking in her gaze. Nathaniel stayed quiet and gripped his arm. She sighed and aimed her trident at the statue in the grotto. It was surrounded by a glow before disappearing. The queen did the same to the human artifacts and all of Nathaniel's etchings. Nathaniel frowned as he sadly watched his collection slowly diminish until the shelves of his hiding place were left bare.

"These items will remain locked away. I don't want to hear anything else about you being involved with the human world."

With those words, Queen Caline left the grotto, guilt filling her gaze as she noticed the entirely miserable expression resting on her son's face. Alix and Marinette watched sadly as Nathaniel just stayed absolutely still as he looked at the empty grotto that once homed all of his treasured items.

Marinette slowly made her way over to Nathaniel and tentatively rested a hand on his shoulder.

"Nathaniel, I..."

"Just leave."

Nathaniel's demand came out choked as his shoulders harshly rose and fell with his shaky breaths.

Marinette frowned and with a downcast gaze, took her hand off of him before heading to the exit. Alix shot one last disheartened look at Nathaniel before leaving with Marinette. In his despair, the redhead failed to notice the mermaid lurking in the shadows.

"Oh, you poor prince. Poor dear prince."

The mermaid's voice rang out through the small space.

Nathaniel looked up to find the owner of the unknown voice. He gazed around until he noticed the figure approaching. She was a mermaid with long brown hair and a grey tail. He looked quizzically at her as she slowly came to a stop in front of him.

"He has a serious problem. If only there was a way that I could help him. But there is something that I can do."

The brown-haired girl spoke cheerily but with an unknown edge beneath the words.

"Who are you?"

Nathaniel questioned her skeptically.

"Don't be afraid. I'm someone who can help you. I can make all of your dreams come true. Just picture it: you and that human prince...together forever with no one to keep you apart."

The mermaid spoke enticingly and Nathaniel couldn't help but be tempted by the things that she was offering.

"How...how could you even do that?"

Nathaniel found himself asking.

"My name is Lila and I have great powers."

Nathaniel has heard of magic users, but beings with magical abilities are uncommon. He's also heard that they don't do anything for free and there's always a price to pay. He glanced at his now missing collection and felt something tug at his mind, telling him that this was a bad idea, but one more quick glance at his empty grotto made up his mind for him. He's already lost just about everything dear to him, so surely the price for being with Marc will be something he would be happy to pay. The redhead took a deep breath.

"You'll be able to help me be with Marc?"

The blue-eyed prince questioned Lila. She nodded and held a hand out to him.

"Just come with me and in no time, you'll be with your precious prince."

Marinette nervously swam around outside of the grotto's entrance, waiting for Nathaniel to come out. Alix watched her from her sitting place on a rock.

"Poor Nathaniel. I didn't mean for this to happen. I was just trying to protect him."

Marinette said before sighing regretfully.

Suddenly, a shadow passed over Marinette and Alix. The two looked up to see Nathaniel swimming away with an unknown mermaid. Marinette and Alix shared a scared look before following the redheaded prince. They swam beside him.

"Nathaniel, where are you going?"

Marinette questioned worriedly.

"I'm going with Lila. She's a magic-user and she's going to help me."

Marinette gasped and grabbed his hand.

"Don't do this. Just come back with us."

Nathaniel frowned and pulled his hand from her grip.

"How about you just go and tell my mother? You're good at that."

The merman muttered bitterly and continued following Lila.

Marinette felt hurt from Nathaniel's words but decided to follow him from a distance. Alix tagged along, worried about her best friend, and hoped that Nathaniel wouldn't end up hurt. After swimming for some time, they noticed Nathaniel and Lila head into something that resembled a skeleton of a large sea creature.

Marinette and Alix hesitated for a few seconds before slowly making their way into the hideout. Hopefully, they would be able to get some sense into Nathaniel before he got himself into serious trouble.


	3. Chapter 3

As Nathaniel approached the large skeleton, he slowed down to a stop and gazed tentatively at the large bony structure. He stayed still as an unsettled feeling rose up in him and nervously gripped his arm. Lila quickly noticed that Nathaniel wasn't following her anymore and turned around to look at him.

"It's just this way."

Lila spoke sweetly as if she was trying to lure him in. Nathaniel took a deep breath and began swimming forward into the jaws of the skeleton, the thoughts of being able to be with Marc spurring him on into the darkness. While moving through a narrow tunnel, the redhead couldn't help noticing the brown tendrils stuck to the rough surface around him and uneasily moved through the small space. He quickly saw the small eyes in the dark and felt horrified as the moans of the small creatures reached his ears.

Nathaniel moved forward again but as he did, one of the creatures reached out and wound itself around his wrist. Nathaniel gasped and immediately struggled against the grip. He grunted and pulled as hard as he could, successfully freeing himself after a few seconds. He backed up against the top of the tunnel, fearfully looking down at the creatures covering the floor below him.

Nathaniel was snapped out of his fear by Lila calling to him from the large room at the end of the tunnel. The redhead watched as Lila sat down on a small stone seat. The brown-haired mermaid immediately began speaking loudly, her voice filling the large space.

"So, when it comes to your problem, the solution is very simple. The only way for you to be happy and have what you want is to become a human."

Nathaniel gasped quietly before curiously looking at her.

"You can do that?"

Lila smirked.

"Of course. I can do many great things. Something like that is no problem for me and helping others is what I do, but a deal must be made. I'm going to make you a potion that will turn you into a human for three days only."

As Lila began explaining, she led Nathaniel over to a large cauldron in the middle of the room.

"Now listen carefully, this next part is very important. Before the sun sets on the third day, you've got to get the prince to fall in love with you and he must prove that love with a kiss. A kiss of true love. If he kisses you before the sun sets on the final day, the spell will become permanent and you'll remain a human forever."

Nathaniel stayed quiet as he thought over the deal. He opened his mouth to speak, but Lila continued talking.

"But if he doesn't kiss you, you'll turn back into a merman...and you'll belong to me."

Marinette and Alix, who were secretly watching from the entrance. gasped as they heard the last part. They immediately yelled out protests and tried swimming into the room but they were unable to. In the room, Nathaniel couldn't hear his friend's shouts due to the magical barrier that Lila had put in place to keep out intruders.

Nathaniel nervously chewed on his lip as he pondered over the price of the spell.

"So, do we have a deal?"

Nathaniel nervously glanced at Lila before speaking with a hint of sadness.

"If I become human, I'll never be with my mother or friends again."

Lila gave him a thoughtful look.

"That's true, but you'll have your prince. It's definitely a tough choice. But there's something you need to know before you decide. As much as I like helping the poor and unfortunate, I can't do this for free. I must receive payment for the potion."

Nathaniel frowned.

"But I don't have any..."

Lila immediately cut him off.

"I'm not asking for much. The price is just something small. You really won't miss it much. What I want is...your voice."

Nathaniel looked confused.

"My voice?"

Lila elaborated surely.

"Yes. It'll mean no talking, no singing. Nothing."

Nathaniel's brows furrowed.

"But without my voice, how am I going to be able to..."

Lila answered matter of factly.

"You're smart. I think you'll find a way to communicate nonverbally."

Nathaniel stayed silent as he thought over the price and conditions of the offer that Lila proposed. While he was thinking, Lila conjured up a scroll that listed the terms and price of the deal. The paper moved until it was floating in front of the redhead and a fishbone quill manifested in the air next to the scroll.

Nathaniel bit his lip as he scanned over the writing and his eyes landed on the empty spot at the bottom where his signature would go. He thought of Marc's face and his mother's words. He knew that he would do anything to be with the human prince and if this is the price, then he would gladly pay it.

The redheaded merman got a determined gleam in his eyes as he grabbed the quill and scrawled his name on the bottom of the contract. Lila grinned and rolled it up before snapping her fingers, causing the paper to vanish into thin air. The brown-haired mermaid smiled triumphantly and began throwing various things into her cauldron while chanting words that Nathaniel didn't understand.

Nathaniel watched with fascination as bright lights and swirls appeared in and around the large pot. Suddenly a large pair of misty hands appeared from the color and reached out towards Nathaniel. One hand stopped in front of the redhead and turned into a stream of mist. It shot forward before sliding down his throat while the other hand swirled around his torso.

Before Nathaniel could react, the hand moved back out with a ball of bright light held carefully in its grip. The merman's hands came up to rest on his own throat as the realization set in that the glowing ball was his voice. The hands retracted into a seashell, taking his voice with them before a cloud burst out from the cauldron and captured Nathaniel in a bubble.

Marinette and Alix frantically watched as Nathaniel's tail thrashed violently, light surrounded it for a few seconds before the tail split in two and legs appeared. Suddenly, the bubble popped and Nathaniel struggled to hold his breath since he was human now. The barrier keeping Marinette and Alix out fell and the two rushed in. They each grabbed one of Nathaniel's arms and raced up out of Lila's lair, rushing to bring Nathaniel up to the surface as fast as they could. Upon breaking the surface of the water, Nathaniel took a deep gasping breath of air. Marinette and Alix worriedly looked at him before bringing him over to shore closest to the castle.

Marc sat on a pile of rocks on the beach, just trying to focus on writing in his journal while enjoying the sound of the waves crashing. Getting distracted by his own thoughts about the beautiful unknown boy that had saved him, the dark-haired prince stood up and started walking down the beach while his black and white dog, Ziggy, raced around his feet. Marc smiled and reached down to pet the dog while he wondered how to find the boy that he had seen. The green-eyed boy had searched everywhere but has had no luck in finding his mysterious savior.

Unknown to Marc, in the shallow water nearby the castle, the boy he has been searching for was laid on a rock. Nathaniel's upper body was resting out of the water. The redhead reached up and pushed his wet hair out of his face before sitting down in the shallow water which allowed the tops of his knees to rise up from the water.

The blue-eyed boy looked in shock at them for a few seconds before lifting one leg up and wiggling his toes. Nathaniel smiled and tried to stand up. His legs wobbled as he tried to maintain his balance on the new appendages, but he soon fell over and landed with a large splash. Marinette and Alix worriedly watched him before quietly talking to one another while Nathaniel continued to get the hang of his legs.

"I can't actually believe that he has legs now."

Alix expressed her disbelief.

"I don't know how he's going to get a kiss in three days. He can't even talk."

Marinette worriedly watched Nathaniel more.

Alix nodded in agreement before Marinette continued.

"This is a disaster! His mother is not going to like this at all! Maybe it would be for the best if I went back and told her so that she could reverse this or something."

Marinette wailed out as thoughts of Queen Caline's reaction to the deal permeated her mind.

Nathaniel, who was now standing up successfully, overheard the last part of Marinette's freak-out and put his hands up in front of her to stop her from swimming away. The redhead shook his head at Marinette. The blue-eyed mermaid stopped and looked at him with worry as he shook his head.

Marinette understood what he was trying to say and frowned.

"Nathaniel, I'm worried about this deal. I don't know if you'll be able to get a kiss in such a short amount of time. But maybe we can convince Lila to give your voice back and we can go home."

Nathaniel pleadingly looked at Marinette with a crestfallen look in his eyes and she gazed back for a few seconds before sighing.

"Okay. I won't go get Queen Caline, but we must do everything we can to make sure that you get that kiss. I'll be here to help you."

Marinette faintly smiled at Nathaniel while speaking reassuringly.

Nathaniel smiled at Marinette with a grateful look before heading over to the shore and shakily walking out of the water. While walking out, he noticed all of his bare skin and remembered that humans usually wore cloth to cover themselves. The redhead glanced around before spotting a mast from a shipwreck laying nearby. Nathaniel picked it up and tied it around his waist using rope so that he was properly covered up.

Marc kicked rocks as he wandered further down the beach with Ziggy trailing behind him. Suddenly, the dog sniffed and took off running down the sand, barking the whole time.

"Ziggy? What is it?"

Marc questioned the now excited canine who ran back and jumped up on the dark-haired boy. The dog glanced between Marc and the beach ahead of them a few times before running ahead. Marc started running to follow the happy dog to where it was she seemingly wanted to go.

Ziggy rounded a corner and she barked louder. The dog ran over to Nathaniel and immediately began chasing him around a pile of rocks that Nathaniel quickly climbed up to use as a retreat from the happy animal. The dog leaped up and managed to lick the blue-eyed boy's face a few times before running away at the sound of her owner calling for her.

Soon after, Marc ran around the same corner that he saw Ziggy run around. Once he went around it, he was bombarded as his dog immediately bounded up to him before biting the top of his boot and tugging. Marc reached down to pet the top of her head.

"What's gotten into you, girl?"

After saying that, Marc glanced up and noticed the boy sitting on top of a pile of rocks nearby.

"Oh, that's why you were acting like that."

Marc headed over to the somewhat familiar boy who was pushing his hair back in what seemed to be a nervous manner.

"Are you okay? I'm sorry if she scared you."

Marc said while motioning to Ziggy who was happily running around his legs.

The unknown boy said nothing and just smiled at Marc while leaning in slightly. Marc looked back with a hint of a blush on his cheeks. Gazing into the boy's blue eyes, Marc couldn't help but feel like he has seen him before.

"I don't know why, but you seem familiar. Have we met before?"

Marc quietly questioned.

The redhead nodded with a happy look on his face. As Marc took in the boy's appearance, the face of the mystery boy flashed in his mind and Marc smiled.

"'I knew it! You were the one that saved me! I've been looking everywhere for you! What is your name?"

Marc had taken Nathaniel by the hands in his excitement at finding the boy who had rescued him.

Nathaniel immediately began trying to say his name but no sound came out. He remembered the deal and frowned deeply, a forlorn look appearing on his face as one of his hands came to rest on his throat.

"What's wrong?"

Marc worriedly asked with concern filling his gaze.

Nathaniel tapped the front of his throat with his hand, hoping that Marc would understand.

"You can't speak?"

Marc guessed quietly while resting a hand on Nathaniel's arm.

Nathaniel shook his head no.

"Oh. Then you can't be who I was looking for."

Marc disappointedly looked away while remembering the voice that he had heard from the beautiful boy before.

Nathaniel sighed before getting an idea. The redhead immediately began doing motions with his hands, trying to tell Marc what happened but Marc only watched with confusion. Nathaniel tried harder and lost his balance causing him to fall off of the rock. Marc immediately caught him and steadied him on his feet.

The accident caused Marc's arms to end up around Nathaniel's waist while the redhead's ended up resting around Marc's neck. The two gazed into each other's eyes for a few seconds before they both shyly looked away.

"You seem like you need help. Just come with me."

Marc kindly said while leading Nathaniel down the beach.

The blue-eyed boy glanced back and shot a hopeful smile at Marinette and Alix who were watching from far away. Alix shot him two thumbs up and Marinette waved.


	4. Chapter 4

Nathaniel's eyes were full of curiosity and he tried cupping a bubble in his hand as he sat in the large tub of warm water. The bubble popped and Nathaniel attempted to hold another one. Suddenly water was poured over his head and he immediately closed his eyes. The woman that poured the water continued to clean him while gossiping about the situation to the laundress sitting across the room.

The once merman didn't pay attention to what she was saying, however, and simply looked around the lavishly decorated bathroom he was in. After he was deemed immaculate by the woman in charge of bathing him, Nathaniel was dried and brought a fresh set of clothes similar to the ones that the human prince was donning.

While the red-haired boy was getting bathed, Marc simply waited in the castle's large dining area while gazing out of the windows which took up two of the room's walls. The green-eyed boy's thoughts were stuck on the mute boy that he had found on the beach. Marc was pretty sure that the boy could have been the one that rescued him if it wasn't for him not being able to speak.

With a quiet sigh of frustration, Marc turned away from his view of the setting sun only to hear one of the castle's servants asking, in a friendly manner, for someone to just follow her. Marc glanced up at the entryway leading into the room and noticed the very boy that had been on his mind stepping into the room, which allowed the light from the sky to fall onto him.

The dark-haired prince felt his breath slightly catch in his throat as he noticed that both of the red head's wonderfully bright blue eyes were visible and his hair was neatly held in a bun. Marc swallowed gently as the silent boy approached him and stopped in front of him. Unable to fight the shy smile making its way onto his face, Marc said the first thing that came to mind.

"Um, you look wonderful."

A light blush lit up Nathaniel's cheeks as he shyly smiled back while nodding slightly in thanks. Quickly, everyone was sat at the table and Nathaniel waited until everyone else had begun eating before attempting it for himself. After watching how they ate the dishes that were present, the red-head closely copied their etiquette and found the different food amazing.

Once the meal was drawing to an end, Marc thoughtfully glanced at Nathaniel before making a suggestion to the blue-eyed boy.

"I'm not sure if you would be interested, but I would like to take you on a tour of my kingdom tomorrow. If you want to, that is."

Nathaniel immediately nodded, his eyes lit up with excitement at the thought of spending an entire day with Marc and getting to see more of the human world. After wordlessly bidding Marc a good night and retiring to the guest room he was staying in, Nathaniel changed into pajamas and wandered out onto the balcony that was branched off from the large room.

Barking was heard and Nathaniel looked out over the small, grassy courtyard below where Marc was sitting and scribbling away in his journal while the human prince's dog excitedly raced around him. The newly turned human let out a silent sigh with fondness resting in his gaze as he watched the dark-haired boy continue to write.

As if he could sense the gaze on him, Marc stopped his pencil's movements and glanced up at the balcony where Nathaniel was. The green-eyed boy smiled and waved up at him. The red-head shyly smiled and returned the gesture before heading back into the room. Nathaniel placed a hand on the bed and pushed down slightly, testing the bed's softness. Quickly, he pulled back the covers and got beneath them.

Once the candle resting on the stand beside the bed was blown out and the room was cloaked in darkness, Nathaniel's mind went through different ways of how he could get Marc to kiss him. Unable to think of anything, the blue-eyed boy frowned slightly and closed his eyes in an attempt to get rest before the tour and soon dozed off, unaware of his mother's frantic attempts to find him going underway and of her guilt for the way that she had talked to him.

Once the morning had come and Nathaniel was dressed, he and Marc had set off into town in a horse-drawn carriage. The red-head looked around in awe as the kingdom stretched out before him. From time to time, Marc glanced at the excited boy beside him while using the reins to control the horse's movement.

The clacking of the horse's hooves and seagulls crying were heard as the carriage made its way through the busy town. Not known to Marc and Nathaniel, Alix and Marinette were staying close by using the small canal that was running beneath the bridges that the carriage was passing over.

The carriage soon arrived in a bustling square and Marc halted the horse before getting out and helping Nathaniel down out of it. The red-head curiously looked around at everything that was going on. After walking around and turning a corner, Nathaniel noticed a crowd of people dancing and smiled softly as he recognized the sight from one of the paintings that he had in his grotto.

Marc noticed the happiness on Nathaniel's face and considered asking him to dance, but knew that it wouldn't be a good idea because of how many people would see. But the green-eyed prince quickly thought of something and gently tugged on the other boy's sleeve to get his attention.

Nathaniel turned and looked at Marc, his eyebrows slightly furrowed in confusion. Marc wordlessly led the red-head to a deserted spot that was nearby so that the music surrounding the dancing crowd could still be heard.

"We can dance if you would like to."

After offering that, Marc shyly smiled at the red-head.

Nathaniel smiled back the same way and nodded before realizing that he wasn't sure how to dance. Marc immediately noticed the puzzled expression that the blue-eyed boy had and stepped closer to him before holding one of his hands and gently resting a hand on Nathaniel's waist.

A blush rose up on Nathaniel's face as he rested his free hand on Marc's shoulder. The dark-haired boy smiled reassuringly at him before starting to lead him in a dance. The next few minutes were spent with the two dancing together and their smiles were larger by the time that they decided to stop.

After some shopping and once back in the carriage, they started heading out of the village and over a bridge. While Marc was focused on steering the horse, Nathaniel took the opportunity to glance at the dark-haired boy while his thoughts began to fill with a nagging sense regarding the deal and what he had to do.

Somehow, he had to get Marc to kiss him, but he wasn't sure how. Nathaniel's gaze soon fell onto his lap where he was holding all of the items that he and Marc had bought in town. He looked at the small journal that he had excitedly pointed out and Marc had immediately bought afterward. While looking at the small leather-bound book, Nathaniel started to get an idea.

Before he could make a move to test his thought, Marc nudged Nathaniel's shoulder and offered the reins to him. The red-head handed what he was holding to Marc before tentatively moving the reins up and down to urge the horse to move forward. Nathaniel slowly led the carriage through the peaceful countryside as the sun was starting to get lower in the sky.

As the sky became streaked with purple, Marc had helped Nathaniel into a small boat and began to row it through a densely wooded area that had a waterfall in the distance. The blue-eyed boy glanced around and pulled the small journal out before pulling a pencil, that Marc had given him, out as well.

Nathaniel immediately began to roughly sketch the waterfall and trees surrounding it as they slowly made their way past trees and lilypads floating on the water. Alix and Marinette were secretly watching Marc and Nathaniel from behind some rocks.

"What is Nathaniel doing? He doesn't have that much time and he's not even trying to get the human to kiss him."

Alix shook her head as she spoke frustratedly.

"I don't know. Maybe we should help him out."

Marinette suggested with a thoughtful look.

Alix simply nodded and silently swam closer to the boat while being careful so she doesn't get spotted. Marinette immediately followed.

Nathaniel stopped sketching and glanced up to see Marc watching him. The former merman felt a twinge of embarrassment but the feeling quickly went away as he noticed the soft smile that the green-eyed prince had. The red-headed prince returned the smile before Marc's attention fell onto the journal in Nathaniel's hands.

"I couldn't help but notice that you were drawing earlier. May I see what you were working on? If you don't mind of course."

Marc sheepishly added the last part, not wanting to feel like he was being too demanding.

Nathaniel slightly bit his lip before carefully holding the small journal out to the other prince. Marc took it and opened it up to the first page where the sketch of the waterfall was. The dark-haired boy couldn't stop the way that his mouth fell slightly agape as he silently admired the close detail that Nathaniel was able to capture on paper.

With a light pink hue resting on his cheeks, Nathaniel rubbed the back of his neck as he avoided looking up. His attention was soon caught by Marc speaking quietly with awe seeping into his voice.

"This is amazing. You're really talented."

All that Nathaniel could focus on was the excitement filling Marc's eyes as he was gazing straight at the red-head. Neither seemed to notice that crickets had begun to chirp or that water was beginning to softly lap at the sides of their rowboat as small waves started to roll across the water's surface.

The wind started to rustle the leaves of the vines that were draping down from a tree and forming a curtain, shielding the two from view. Marc found himself unable to look away from Nathaniel as a sense of familiarity radiated from the mute boy. Nathaniel shyly smiled and fiddled with a loose strand of his hair that had managed to escape from the bun that was holding his hair back.

Marc fought the urge to lean forward and, instead, continued to slowly row. Alix and Marinette, who were the ones creating the small waves, frowned and chanced moving closer to the boat, determined to get the two boys to kiss. After rowing a few more times, Marc carefully released his hold on the paddles and sadly gazed at Nathaniel.

"I just realized that I don't even know your name. I feel bad about that."

Nathaniel gazed back with a similar expression as Marc continued to speak.

"I might be able to guess, perhaps. Is it Marion?"

Nathaniel made a slight expression of disgust and Marc quietly chuckled.

"I guess that's not it."

Marc gained a thoughtful look before trying again.

"How about Dennis? Russell?"

Nathaniel shook his head to each name.

Alix, who was right beside the boat and listening, facepalmed before quietly whispering.

"Nathaniel. His name is Nathaniel."

Marc, not sure where the whisper came from, repeated the name in a confused way.

"Nathaniel?"

Hearing his own name fall from Marc's lips caused the blue-eyed boy to lean forward and rest a hand on the dark-haired boy's arm while happily nodding.

"Nathaniel? Oh."

Marc shared Nathaniel's happiness as he repeated the name.

Nathaniel smiled at Marc while moving his hand to hold onto the green-eyed boy's hand instead of his arm.

"That's a really nice name. Okay, Nathaniel."

Marc gazed fondly into the red-head's eyes while gently placing a hand on top of Nathaniel's. The two simply stared into each other's eyes, a hint of longing filling both of their gazes, neither noticing the fireflies beginning to lazily drift through the air around them.

Slowly, Nathaniel and Marc leaned towards each other while closing their eyes. Marinette and Alix happily watched while silently cheering as the two boys continued to move closer, their lips centimeters away from touching. Suddenly, as if a giant wave had struck the small boat, Marc and Nathaniel were roughly dumped into the water.

Spluttering a little and shaking water off of himself, Marc immediately helped Nathaniel stand up before the two started to head back to shore. The two were completely unaware of the sinister mermaid watching from a distance where the water was deeper. Lila sneered as she watched the boys clamber up out of the water.

"That was a close one. Too close for my liking. It's a good thing that I was able to stop them."

Lila quietly spat out as she started heading back to her lair while continuing to rant.

"I can't believe this! I didn't think that he would come close to succeeding at all!"

Lila soon arrived back at her hideout and angrily grabbed various bottles sitting around before tossing them into the cauldron sitting in the middle of the room.

"With the way things are going, Nathaniel will be kissing that human before sunset! I'll just have to handle this myself! I WILL win this deal! Nathaniel will belong to me! And then I'll be able to force dear old Queen Caline to do whatever I please."

As Lila uttered that last part, a glow erupted from the cauldron and surrounded her. She laughed menacingly while changing into a woman closely resembling Nathaniel and the seashell containing the blue-eyed merman's voice was on a necklace that she was now wearing.

Marc quietly stood at the edge of the courtyard closest to the sea and gazed out at the moonlit water while his thoughts wandered. He still couldn't get the mystery rescuer out of his mind, but he's been having some feelings rising up for Nathaniel. Maybe he should pursue what was in front of him instead of waiting for someone that he's not even fully sure exists.

One quick glance up at a castle window where Nathaniel could be seen brushing his hair confirmed Marc's feelings, but the green-eyed boy sighed as he realized that he and Nathaniel could never be together. Two men being romantically involved with one another wasn't allowed in the village and especially not in the castle.

While sighing again, Marc started to head away from the sea but stopped as he heard a familiar voice in the distance. The voice that he had heard from the mysterious figure who saved him was echoing through the night air. Marc rushed back to where he was standing and immediately noticed the cloaked figure walking down the beach.

The dark-haired prince squinted his eyes slightly, trying to see the face of the figure, but the hood prevented him from doing so. As he continued to listen, he noticed that the voice was slightly off and wasn't as masculine as it was the day he was brought to the shore.

Before Marc could dwell more on that fact, he noticed a glowing object resting on the person's chest. As he continued to stare at it, a strange light flowed from the object and went into Marc's eyes, changing the bright green to a pale yellow and all of the human's thoughts suddenly stopped.


	5. Chapter 5

Nathaniel woke up to the warm caress of sunlight on his face and silently groaned before forcing himself to sit up. He brushed his hair from his eyes and tiredly got dressed before approaching the door leading out into the hallway.

The redhead eased his door open slightly, only to be bombarded with the sounds of hushed, excited whispers being shared between a few of the servants. Nathaniel halted his movements and curiously listened in.

"I never thought that this day would come!"

"The prince is finally getting married!"

"I bet that the ceremony this afternoon will be lovely."

Nathaniel's eyebrows knitted in confusion as he processed their words. Marc was getting married? The green-eyed prince hadn't spoken a word in the last day about anything regarding a marriage. Unless...Marc was going to ask the redhead to marry him. The blue-eyed boy's heart skipped a beat at the thought of taking Marc's hand and uniting with him at the altar.

A soft smile made its way onto Nathaniel's face, and he quickly glanced in a nearby mirror to make sure he looked presentable before leaving his room. He quickly crossed the hallway and to the stairs, his excitement ascending as he descended with every step. But as he reached the bottom of the staircase, he stopped dead in his tracks as an unfortunate sight greeted him.

Nathaniel's smile instantly faltered and was soon replaced with a look of disbelief. The shy redhead hid behind a nearby pillar and he secretly watched the scene unfolding in front of him. Marc was standing completely still and staring blankly ahead at one of his advisors who was explaining the day's schedule.

The blue-eyed boy's gaze landed onto the woman latched onto Marc's arm who could pass for his twin if it weren't for the vindictive gleam in her eye that seemed to escape everyone but Nathaniel's attention. The redhead watched as the advisor held onto one of the woman's hands and happily spoke to her.

"Congratulations, my dear."

Before Nathaniel could puzzle over why the unknown woman was being congratulated, Marc spoke in a monotone manner and the blue-eyed prince suddenly couldn't breathe.

"We wish to be married as soon as possible."

Nathaniel's face showed his understanding of what was happening and he felt like his heart was being squeezed tightly as the realization that Marc was going to be marrying someone else sunk in. He unconsciously shook his head as the word no yearned to escape him. He started to take heaving breaths as hot tears pricked the corners of his eyes. Marc didn't want to be with him. The green-eyed prince felt nothing for him. What was he going to do?

The redhead's thoughts buzzed with despair and he anxiously ran his fingers through his hair before fleeing to his room as tears began to trail down his cheeks. Unknown to Nathaniel, his hasty escape was noticed by the woman at Marc's side. She smirked and sneakily rested a hand on the seashell resting against her chest while laying her head on Marc's shoulder.

Nathaniel sat on a crate at the end of the dock and could only gut-wrenchingly watch as the ship where the wedding was taking place began to depart in the direction of the rapidly setting sun. He took many deep breaths in an attempt to remain calm. Thoughts and visions of what could have been flashed through his mind and only caused the pain in his heart to seep deeper.

The redheaded boy continued to watch the ship as it took Marc further away from him. He started to silently sob, not knowing that Marinette and Alix were watching from the water with twin expressions of sadness filling their gazes. Alix looked between the departing ship and Nathaniel. Something didn't make sense to her since she saw in Marc's eyes how much he cared for the blue-eyed boy. She felt a sudden wave of determination fill her and quickly swam after the boat to get some answers.

The small mermaid quickly caught up with the large vessel and she heard a familiar voice drifting from the side. Alix gripped a ledge and hoisted herself up to peer through the hole. She watched the woman that Marc will be wed to getting ready for the wedding. The Nathaniel lookalike pinned her hair up while talking to her own reflection.

"Aren't I such a divine looking bride? As I predicted, everything is going according to plan. Soon that foolish, love-stricken merman will be mine and the ocean will soon belong to me as well."

The sickly sweet sentences slid gracefully off of the woman's tongue before she took off her necklace with the shell and Alix watched with horror as the woman's appearance changed and Lila was the one sitting in front of the mirror. Alix ducked her head down and silently retreated back to the dock to tell the others about her discovery.

"I knew something didn't add up!"

Once back, Alix yelled Nathaniel's name and he looked up at her with a quizzical look while anxiously gripping his arm.

"I saw something on the boat! The woman that Marc is marrying is actually Lila! She's wearing some kind of necklace! I think that's what's allowing her to do it!

The small mermaid loudly explained while gesturing towards the ship in the distance.

Marinette and Nathaniel both looked confused and skeptical while listening to Alix, neither one not sure what to believe.

"Are you sure, Alix?"

Marinette quietly questioned her while Nathaniel's eyes filled with desperation. He couldn't allow Marc to be married to Lila! He had to do something!

The redhead instantly backed up and got a running start before leaping into the water. Marinette watched him before getting an idea.

"Alix, help Nathaniel get to that ship as fast as possible and make sure that the ceremony isn't completed."

Alix nodded and immediately grabbed onto Nathaniel before swimming out towards the boat.

Marinette dove and began to race back to the underwater kingdom to get the Queen. Alix pushed Nathaniel up so that he could begin climbing up the side of the boat. She then went to find help by using her connection with sea animals, that all merfolk have, to encourage them to get onto the boat and disturb the wedding. She was able to enlist the help of some dolphins and seals and smirked while leading them to the ship.

Marc walked down the aisle beside Lila, a blank look on his face the whole time. Lila glanced to the side to see Ziggy growling at her and she sneered at the dog before looking straight ahead again. Soon the two stop in front of the man performing the ceremony and he began to read from the book in front of him.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered to witness the blessed union of these two in holy matrimony. Do you, Marc, take Volpina to be your lawfully wedded wife for as long as you both shall live?"

While the man was addressing Marc, Lila looked at the sun with a small smirk of satisfaction resting on her lips as she noticed the bright circle beginning to dip beneath the line of the horizon.

"I do."

Marc droned while looking vacantly ahead.

Lila's smirk quickly turned into an angered frown when she began to hear the chatter of dolphins and barking of seals. Guests started to panic when several seals suddenly landed onto the deck and made their way around. Ziggy barked excitedly and ran around, further adding to the chaos.

One of the seals spotted Lila and she fleed from the sea creature as it approached her. Not paying attention to where she was going, she ran into the tall wedding cake and fell onto it, getting the dessert smeared all over her dress and head as a result. Lila growled and backed up towards the ship's railing where dolphins began to spit water at her.

Lila let out a shriek of anger and attempted to throw random objects down at the dolphins, not noticing Ziggy approaching from behind. The dog leaped up and latched onto the shell dangling from Lila's neck. Before she could make a move to get the dog off, the cord around her neck snapped and the nautilus shell went flying, smashing on impact at Nathaniel's feet right as he climbed onto the deck.

A small ball of light floated up from the remains of the shell and lazily drifted through the air while softly emitting Nathaniel's voice. The yellow color of Marc's eyes faded back to their usual green and he winced while holding a hand to his head. The dark-haired prince shook his head before looking around and noticing what was happening to Nathaniel.

Several of the guests gasped in surprise and Lila angrily watched as the light was absorbed into Nathaniel's throat, restoring his voice. Nathaniel sighed with relief and softly smiled at Marc.

"Marc."

Marc softly smiled as well as he recognized the voice to be one that he heard on the beach. Ziggy happily ran around Nathaniel's legs.

"You can talk."

Marc happily responded before starting to make his way over to Nathaniel.

"Marc, get back here now!"

Lila demanded, not caring that her own voice was heard.

But before Marc could reach Nathaniel, the sun set completely and the green-eyed boy watched with severe distress as the redhead let out a groan of pain and collapsed onto the floor, his legs replaced by a tail. Lila instantly laughed loudly, the sound full of wicked glee.

"You're too late!"

Marc didn't even have time to react before Lila grabbed Nathaniel and jumped overboard with the struggling merman. The dark-haired boy gripped the railing and looked down at the dark water, his mind racing with what just happened and what he knew he had to do.


End file.
